$20 Million Grant: Cenegenics Congratulates Dr. Robert D. Langer, a Noted Principal Investigator and Board Member of Cenegenics Education and Research Foundation

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Cenegenics Education and Research Foundation (CERF) announced its Board of Trustees member, Dr. Robert D. Langer, will be principal investigator on the game-changing grant awarded by the National Institutes of Health to UNLV helping seven Mountain West states to develop the infrastructure to conduct clinical research for regional health problems

Dr. Robert D. Langer: Noted principal investigator for UNLV's "game-changing" $20 million grant & board member of Cenegenics Education and Research Foundation

I fully expect that the research we will do will be eye-opening for people in other parts of the country—exploring different avenues that will have meaningful impact on health well beyond our region.

Las Vegas, NV (PRWEB)September 27, 2013

Dr. Robert D. Langer—noted international research leader in studies focused on healthy aging and a member of the Board of Trustees for Cenegenics Education and Research Foundation (CERF)—is principal investigator for a $20 million grant awarded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to UNLV for clinical research across seven Mountain West states to solve regional health problems, announced Cenegenics Education and Research Foundation (CERF). CERF focuses on investigative research and physician education in preventive medicine as well as oversees Cenegenics’ certifying body, research committee and medical advisory committee.

According to Langer, this grant is a true game-changer for the Mountain West states, recognizing this part of the country as having much to contribute to our understanding of health. Historically, these seven states have done most of their research in basic science without much opportunity to do clinical or translational research—bench-to-bedside work that takes promising concepts from a laboratory perspective and makes them relevant to people with practical, clinical applications, such as age management medicine or novel approaches to clinical questions. The hefty grant also allows the region to focus on issues unique to this part of the world, providing a fresh look at health as seen from an environment different than the metropolitan places where most academic centers are located.

“One of the interesting things about science is that the more you think out of the box, the better. Human nature is to go for things in a straight line, that’s most comfortable. The reality is that good science often comes from zig-zags. Quite often the research coming out of major academic medical centers is based on the current model of thinking regarding health. The Mountain West will contribute fresh perspectives. I fully expect that the research we will do will be eye-opening for people in other parts of the country—exploring different avenues that will have meaningful impact on health well beyond our region,” Langer said.

The structure of the grant includes core resources for education and mentoring, biostatistical support and editorial support, the basic tools to help younger investigators who need some gaps in knowledge and experience filled in to be competitive at the NIH level. It also will provide resources to help researchers who have been successful in bench science move into human research.

About half of the grant money is targeted for pilot grants and support for faculty at the 13 participating institutions to develop collaborations: UNLV, UNR (via the University of Nevada School of Medicine), University of Alaska (Anchorage), University of Alaska (Fairbanks), University of Hawaii (Manoa), Boise State University, Idaho State University, University of Idaho, Montana State University, University of Montana, University of New Mexico, New Mexico State University and the University of Wyoming.

“We are thrilled for Dr. Langer and for UNLV’s receiving such a prestigious grant. This further underscores Dr. Langer’s career-long commitment to research centered on a health-wellness and preventive medicine model. Clearly, this type of research work also dovetails into CERF’s mission of investigative research and physician education in preventive medicine,” Dr. Beth Traylor said. Traylor is CERF’s president as well as a Cenegenics physician partner and senior Institute physician.

To schedule an interview with Cenegenics Education and Research Foundation, please contact Ann Castro, Cenegenics Director of Media Relations: 702.953.1588.

About Robert D. Langer, MD, MPH
Dr. Robert D. Langer is the founder, principal scientist and medical director of the Jackson Hole Center for Preventive Medicine. He is associate dean for clinical and transitional research and professor of family medicine at the University of Nevada School of Medicine and professor of allied health sciences at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas. Dr. Langer is Diplomate of the American Board of Preventive Medicine and a Fellow of the American College of Preventive Medicine, the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American Heart Association Scientific Councils. He has served as the principal investigator for more than 30 national and international clinical trials and observational studies with cumulative funding of more than $46 million over the past 25 years. He is the author of over 180 publications in peer-reviewed literature and a sought-after speaker, presenting invited lectures in 13 countries on 4 continents. He earned his medical degree from the Abraham Lincoln School of Medicine - University of Illinois, completed an internship in family medicine at Overlook Hospital (Summit, New Jersey) and a residency in preventive medicine at the University of California - San Diego State University, where he also earned an MPH in epidemiology.

About Cenegenics Education and Research Foundation
The nonprofit Cenegenics Education and Research Foundation focuses on investigative research and physician education in preventive medicine as well as oversees Cenegenics’ certifying body, the Age Management Medicine Education Foundation (AMMEF), the Cenegenics Research Foundation (CERF) and a physician-led Medical Advisory Committee (MAC). CERF’s various collaborative investigative research with noted professors from UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine and the University of Miami - Miller School of Medicine have been published in peer-reviewed journals.